Pre-match information
Arsenal's four-time dream is no longer mentioned, while Manchester City is quietly aiming for a surprising domestic treble. In the role of a pursuer, Pep Guardiola's team becomes particularly dangerous as The Gunners show signs of losing momentum.
After winning the Carabao Cup and only 180 minutes away from defending the FA Cup, Man City has made the most of Arsenal's recent stunts to narrow the gap to 6 points, and also has one unmatched match in hand. The championship race is therefore heating up according to a scenario that few people expected a few weeks ago.
The 3-0 victory at Chelsea's stadium is clear proof of Man City's bravery. Although the first half was not really convincing, the away team still exploded after the break. Young talent Nico O'Reilly continued to shine with his 6th goal in all competitions since the beginning of February.
That was also the third consecutive win that The Citizens kept a clean sheet, scoring a total of 9 goals. Statistics in April further strengthened confidence when they achieved a win rate of 79.5% and an average of 2.51 points/match - the highest in periods with at least 10 matches in the Premier League.
In stark contrast, April became Arsenal's weakness under Arteta. The London team only achieved a win rate of 42.3%, averaging 1.54 points/match - the lowest in their periods in the league.
The 1-2 defeat to Bournemouth is a clear illustration. The goals of Eli Junior Kroupi and Alex Scott made Viktor Gyokeres' penalty goal meaningless. Not only losing points, Arsenal also revealed errors in the operating system.
Reaching the Champions League semi-finals for the second consecutive season partly helps them save face, but the 0-0 draw against Sporting Lisbon is not enough to create a morale boost. Only 1 victory in the last 5 matches in all competitions shows signs of overload clearly affecting Arteta's young squad.
However, Arsenal still has a foothold when they are unbeaten in 5 consecutive matches against Man City in the Premier League, after a period of 12 consecutive defeats against this opponent.
In the context that Man City is forced to win to nurture hopes of reversing the situation, and Arsenal just needs not to lose to maintain the advantage, the match at the Etihad promises to be tight, tense and full of tactical calculations.
